Book review: Thinking Drinkers: The Enlightened Imbibers Guide to Alcohol

Ever woken up with the mother of all hangovers and wondered why you do this to yourself? Haven’t we all?

Well suffer no more, because Thinking Drinkers are here to save the day with a motto to live by: Drink Less, Drink Better. And this is the guide-book to show you how.

The opening lines, “Alcohol. One minute a soul mate, the next a psychopath”, perhaps sum up how most of us feel towards alcohol. It’s a love hate relationship. You love alcohol, but you hate yourself the next morning.

Now, with this handy book, your relationship with alcohol can blossom into a fully committed, match made in heaven. Or your local pub at least!

Ben McFarland and Tom Sandham take us through the history of alcohol by exploring the big hitters: beer & cider, wine, whisky, tequila, vodka, rum and gin.

So if you drink anything at all, this is the book for you, full of history, geography and more than a few humorous anecdotes.

McFarland and Sandham are two of the best in their business, with awards flying left and right to prove it. And their expertise certainly shines through in Thinking Drinkers.

This is an incredibly well researched book. Each section gives not only a run down of the history of different drinks, but also timelines, notable people (including such greats as Van Gogh and Hunter S. Thompson) and expert recommendations, all set alongside wonderful illustrations.

Unlike most coffee table books, the prose of Thinking Drinkers is fantastic. The authors are humorous and engaging throughout, making this perhaps the best history lesson you’ll ever experience!

The golden question is however, how on earth can it cure that pesky hangover that seems to follow you around for days on end? Well, simply, it can’t. It’s a book, not an aspirin.

BUT, it can show you how and what to drink. And, if you’re smart about it, which you will be by the end of Thinking Drinkers, you’ll be able to make the best choices on any night out.

Knowing the exciting past of any alcohol in such detail gives you the chance to savour it for it really is.

Maybe you’ll even learn to never again abuse that last whisky shot by turning it into an Irish Car Bomb (Guinness + Whisky), but hey, we can’t ask for miracles!

So to conclude on Thinking Drinkers, you will, without a doubt, learn more about you favourite drink and the world around it by investing in this book, because that’s exactly what it is, an investment.

About The Author

My name is Greg, and I’m a brand strategy consultant, writer, speaker, host and judge specialising in premium spirits. My mission is to experience, share and inspire with everything great about whisky, whiskey, gin, beer and fine dining through my writing, my brand building and my whisky tastings.